A show Friday night at an Esquimalt bar has turned into a tribute concert after the 51-year-old drummer for one of the bands died in a head-on crash near Nanaimo.
Heidi Plato, of Ladysmith, was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Tuesday, the B.C. Coroners Service said.
Plato’s pickup collided with another pickup about 7:15 p.m. near Yellow Point and Cedar roads, southeast of Nanaimo.
The 39-year-old driver of the other vehicle fled but was located about an hour later, said RCMP Const. Gary O’Brien.
He remains in custody accused of failing to provide a breath sample and leaving the scene of a crash.
Plato was a drummer in the punk band Awkward a/c, which was gaining momentum, said bandmate Coral Dawn Miller, a registered nurse in Nanaimo.
“We’re all just in shock,” Miller said, crying. “I don’t think it’s really hit us all right now. Everyone is rallying around and being really supportive, but I know tougher days are ahead.”
Miller described Plato, who worked as a casual employee at Canada Post, as “super shy” but happy around people.
“She was the consummate host, really giving,” Miller said. “She was a bright light and energetic, real, sincere, legit.”
Plato’s husband, Pete Vizvary, is a guitarist in Awkward a/c. The longtime couple moved to Ladysmith from Vancouver, she said.
The senseless way in which Plato died makes it more difficult to accept, said David Chenery. He is a guitarist in punk rock group Black Valley Gospel, which was in the lineup with Awkward a/c Friday at the Cambie, 856 Esquimalt Rd.
The show is now being billed as a tribute show in memory of Plato. It features the Gnargnars, Black Valley Gospel and the Helletones.
“The thing that hits people is how senseless and quick it was,” Chenery said. “That can happen to anybody — your life can be taken quickly without any idea it’s going to happen.”
Chenery said Plato was adored by those who knew her. “She was quiet but approachable. She was an integral part of the music scene and the band she was in was supportive of everybody that came to Nanaimo.”
The investigation into the crash continues. Police ask anyone who may have seen either pickup in the minutes before the deadly crash to call them at 250-754-2345.
